Handicapped-accessible aircraft lavatories typically include a wheelchair region and a toilet assembly adjacent to a sink assembly. The sink assembly includes a basin positioned at a predetermined height and a predetermined lateral distance with respect to the toilet seat. However, single handicap lavatories of this type consume large amounts of valuable aircraft floor space that cannot be used for any other function than a handicap lavatory.
Aircraft designers have attempted to address the inefficient use of space in providing a handicap access lavatory by creating expandable sections of a standard-sized non-handicap lavatory enclosure. These expandable lavatories are for use in limited spaces on an airplane, however, they must be positioned proximate a doorway area of the airplane to accommodate an expandable section that moves into the doorway area. An expandable module may be pivotally attached to a stationary assembly conventionally affixed to the ceiling and floor of the airplane, where during take-off and landing, the module is locked in a stowed position within the stationary assembly. During flight, module is unlocked and deployed within the doorway area.
Another attempted solution is a lavatory body that stows a storage module capable of being pulled out of and stowed again into the lavatory body. The storage module may include a closet for storing the coats and jackets of passengers that is pulled out of the lavatory body, thereby expanding the interior space of the lavatory unit for passenger use. However, a part of the closet that pulls out protrudes to the space in front of the aircraft door.
These solutions currently provided to expand aircraft lavatory compartment space for accommodation of handicap passengers require expansion into a door area that compromises safety issues of emergency egress should the aircraft need to evacuate passengers quickly. No expanded portion of the lavatory should block the door area for this reason. If an expansion portion were to fail to fully retract during an emergency evacuation, the door exit would be obstructed to some degree jeopardizing the safety of the aircraft passengers.
There exists a need to accommodate an aircraft lavatory that uses an existing footprint of a lavatory compartment that does not encroach upon necessary emergency evacuation paths. Additionally, there exists a need for a system that is simple to use and easily accommodates handicap access passenger ingress and egress from the compartment. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure herein is presented.